Over the past three decades, we have gone from Hillarycare to Obamacare to Trumpcare. The mere fact that healthcare is characterized by the names of public figures is testament to the extreme politicization of an important public policy issue.
The length of the effort to reform healthcare in the United States has been long, arduous, politically overcharged and above all, elusive. While a strong healthcare system is challenging, other countries seem to do a good job – or at least not such a bad job. Yet progress has been so painstaking and the discussion so exhausting, it may seem as if we have lost sight of the actual goal. And yet the subject is critically importance important both for society and for individuals who are ill or at risk – or who simply will need insurance because they are no longer able or wanting to work.
In the past weeks, media have carried stories about insurers pulling out of markets leaving many with limited or no options. We have heard that uncertainty around the future of access to subsidies is causing further erosion to the existing infrastructure. At the same time, we hear that prospects for a replacement for existing law are uncertain, both in terms of timing and impact.
On June 21 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., I am scheduled to moderate a panel discussion called “Healthcare in the Trump Era, Politics, Policy and People”. The aim is to discuss where we are, where we want to go, and what keeps us from getting there, looking at it through with balanced perspective and to have a genuinely sane discussion of the issues.
Politics – policy and people. It is impossible to talk about healthcare reform without talking about the politics – a favorite topic in Washington, D.C. Has the content of any proposal become completely subservient to the politics? Can we get past it? The policy elements – what are the essential aspects of healthcare reform that need to be addressed in legislation in order to make the effort meaningful? And finally, what is the impact of all of this on-going political debate and policy deliberation on every day lives? Does this only affect the uninsured or does it matter how you get your insurance? These are the aspects we will be talking about.
To have this discussion, we have a panel comprised especially of people who can talk politics, policy and people in a bi-partisan way:
- Jim Gerlach, CEO & President, Business-Industry Political Action Committee (BIPAC) and former Republican member of Congress representing the Sixth District of Pennsylvania;
- Allyson Schwartz – CEO & President of the Better Medicare Alliance (BMA) and former Democratic member of Congress representing the Thirteenth District of Pennsyvlania;
- Matt Salo – Executive Director of the National Association of Medicaid Directors.
You can join us in person at the National Press Club if you are local, or by Webinar if you are not. We will discuss relevant questions related to healthcare reform and will be reserving time for questions from the audiences, both live and virtual. Please join me. Thanks.
You can RSVP by clicking on the invite above or by emailing emma.cummingskrueger@fleishman.com
